Water Pressure 110-120 PSI - My problem or the water co's?

[WillJohnston]

My water pressure is 110-120 PSI, and I believe it's causing me some plumbing problems. As far as I know there's no water pressure regulator installed currently, although I could be mistaken.

I've heard that sometimes the water company will take care of this. Anyone have any experience with getting them to do this?

Thanks!
Will

 

[SlowDrip]

Huh, that does seem rather excessive. Most household fixtures shouldn't be subjected to pressure of 80psi.

Fixing this is going to depend entirely where you live. My city public works department will install a regulator once they do their own testing, but a friend of mine who lives in another province had to install his own. Your best bet is honestly to contact whoever supplies your water and ask, or maybe post where you live and hope someo0ne here knows.

 

[WillJohnston]

Thanks, I live in Washington DC, so if anyone has any experience there in particular, that would be great, thanks!

 

[Mr_David]

Here in Southern Calif city water pressure varies but 150 psi is typical supply pressure.
Here it is up to the end user to reduce it. 50 psi is consider ideal.

 

[AllAces777]

Here in Las Vegas, home owners are resposible for Pressure Regulators. For new homes, we have a Southern Nevada Code amendment stating that we are required to install them on all new installations.

 

[RobOnMV]

Hello all,

I'm on well water here on Martha's Vineyard, and I have a question about low pressure through the house. The gauge after the pump reads 50psi, and it reads the same after the blue tank where water is stored. I have a hose coming from that point running out to the garden so I will get that great pressure. However, inside the house I don't get that degree of pressure at all, and if someone is showering and a faucet is turned on the shower pressure drops right down.

This is not a big house(1100 s/f), thus not a lot of pipe for the water to travel, and it's all on one floor. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SlowDrip]

@RobOnMV

50psi isn't bad for a house. The reason the shower drops so much is because new showers have a pressure balance built in to prevent scalding. If someone turns on the cold water elsewhere in the building the shower automatically reduces the incoming hot water by the same amount so that the shower temperature never drops. Of course, this means you lose pressure from both hot and cold lines in the shower even if only some cold water is being run in the kitchen.

Also keep in mind that most other appliances are not truly fed with 1/3" pipe all the way. Most faucets will reduce to a 3/8 supply line before entering the fixture. your outside hose will be 5/8" or 1/2" all the way

 

[rfdevere]

Hello all,

I'm on well water here on Martha's Vineyard, and I have a question about low pressure through the house. The gauge after the pump reads 50psi, and it reads the same after the blue tank where water is stored. I have a hose coming from that point running out to the garden so I will get that great pressure. However, inside the house I don't get that degree of pressure at all, and if someone is showering and a faucet is turned on the shower pressure drops right down.

This is not a big house(1100 s/f), thus not a lot of pipe for the water to travel, and it's all on one floor. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Plumbing New Romney

You are mistaking pressure for flow rates, if you turn off all other apliances in the house and go to the outlet you say has no pressure then open it quickly does it spray out for a second then cut back - this is a sure sign of flow being the problem and not pressure.

 

[RobOnMV]

That's exacctly what happens - thanks for clarifying. How is something like that solved?

 

[TechRaven]

The only possible way to increase flow rate is to supply more water. Which means bigger pipes. If you have 1/2, increasing to 3/4" or 1" will effectively increase your flow by 50% or double (assuming the main into your house is not smaller then this and there is enough pressure to push the water through the pipes).

Edit: That is only way to increase flow without increasing pressure is the above, increasing your water pressure will also increase flow.

 

[rfdevere]

Rob if its a major problem and your up to the task i would do this....

1. Trace the water feed as far back as you can work on it, the main stop tap, the well pump, the tank etc basically the source of water for your property.

2. Look at the size of pipe and take a good guess at its size, go and get some fittings to T into this section of pipe and fit a FULL BORE 1" tap to it if you can't just separate it that is at a valve.

3. open up whatever valve you isolated it with and see if the flow is adequate, get a 20Ltr bucket, can you fill this in 20-40 seconds? - this confirms that the flow is adequate, if its not thats the problem and NOTHING you do further up the stream will help you. if it is a good flow trace the feed to your house to as near to where it goes in to your house as you can, repeat the t'ing in with a valve and check the flow there.....

4. Where the pipe goes into the house (the 2nd valve you temporarily fit) - does this have the same flow roughly as the first (source one) - if it does then the feed to the house is OK, the pipes in the ground are adequate and the problem is inside.

5.If the pipes inside are the culprit you need to get busy..... replace 90 Bends for clean swept pipe bends, reduce the number of bends it does, 2X45 degree bends are 4 times better for passing water through than 1 90 bend!!! make sure the house plumbing complies with your local laws but also it is up to the job, clear line strainers if they have crap in, test, test, test.

Hope that helps

 

[RobOnMV]

I think you are onto something. I have a holding tank outside, a concrete tank set into the ground. Our pond is about 20' away, and it's continually filled. Just after the pump I have 50psi, and after that I have a blue holding tank where there is another gauge reading the same. Right after that gauge I have a spigot which I now attach a garden hose to so we have adequate pressure to attached the garden wands to. The flow rate from the hose I'd guess is at least 12 liters per minute, however, just a few feet up into the house the kitchen faucet is just 5 liters per.

It's a small house, but a tight crawl space to work in. Thanks - it seems I have a great springtime project ahead.

Rob